Collared Pika
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Collared Pika[1] | ||||||||||||||
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| Ochotona collaris (Nelson, 1893) |
The Collared Pika (Ochotona collaris) is small (~160 gram) alpine lagomorph that lives in boulderfields of central and southern Alaska (U.S.),[2] and in parts of Canada, including northern British Columbia, Yukon, and western parts of the Northwest Territories. It is closely related to the American Pika (O. princeps). It is asocial, does not hibernate,[3] and spends a large part of its time in the summer collecting vegetation that is stored under rocks ("haypiles") as a supply of food for the winter.[4] Thousands of trips are made during July and August to collect vegetation for winter.
The Collared Pika is reproductively mature at one year and gives birth to 2-3 young each year in nests within the talus. The young remain in the nest for approximately 30 days before they are weaned and emerge to the surface. Juveniles remain on the natal territory for only a short time (a few days) before they become independent and disperse to find their own territories.
[edit] References
- ^ Hoffmann, Robert S.; Andrew T. Smith (2005-11-16). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 186-187. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Savage, Melissa. Ochotona collaris (English). Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ Ochotona collaris (English). Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ Collared Pika (English). Yukon Government. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
